"The ordination last weekend in Catonsville of four women as Roman Catholic priests is just one indication of continued expansion of a movement begun in 2002 on the Danube River in Germany, according to one of its leaders. That movement is “a renewed vision of the church and a renewed vision of priestly ministry,” said Gloria Carpeneto, who co-pastors the Living Water Community, the reform community in Catonsville that organized the event. The community has grown from about 20 to 100 members since 2008 and operates from Catonsville. The ordination took place at the St. John’s United Church of Christ in Catonsville, according to the Baltimore Sun. "
"The council is pushing for lay people to have a greater say in church decision-making, which is often top-down. And many are calling for women, gay and non-celibate priests, along with more of an emphasis on social justice issues rather than abortion or anti-birth control efforts. On Sunday, it plans to endorse a 10-point list of rights and responsibilities for Catholics. "
"Kathy Chateau, 54, of St. Clair Shores will be at the liberal conference in Detroit because she said she's fed up with the church's views on women and what she calls its lack of accountability over issues such as child abuse.Contact Niraj Warikoo: 313-223-4792 or nwarikoo@freepress.com
Bridget Mary's Reflection: The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests and Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida will share their stories of living Gospel equality now! Contacts: Diane Dougherty at 770-683-8101,Donna Rougeux 859-221-3082, Jack Duffy 608 - 444-2987
The Philadelphia archdiocese has been doing damage control since February, when a grand jury skewered Rigali, his bishops and staff for retaining dozens of problem priests. It charged three priests and a Catholic school teacher with rape and a priest-administrator or monsignor with endangering children by only shuffling accused priests to different posts. The panel said the Church allowed nearly 40 suspected abusers to continue working.Rigali’s replacement will be walking into a storm. Trial preparations continue for two of the archdiocese priests accused of child molestation. The two men declined to make plea deals earlier this week.
Strain on internal relations at the archdiocese has become a matter of public record. The head of the archdiocese panel on priest sex abuse last month responded angrily to criticism heaped on the panel by the grand jury. Ana Maria Catanzaro wrote at the Catholic magazine Commonweal that Rigali and his bishops “failed miserably at being open and transparent” with the panel and so panel members couldn’t perform genuine oversight and shouldn’t be made to carry blame.“What will it take for bishops to accept that their attitude of superiority and privilege only harms their image and the church’s image?” she wrote."
Once-accused priest now leads diocese inquiries into sex abuse By JUDY L. THOMAS The Kansas City Star
"The Catholic official who oversees sex abuse complaints against priests in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, has himself been accused of past sexual improprieties.A Kansas City man wrote the bishop of the diocese four years ago, alleging sexual harassment in 1984 by the Rev. Robert Murphy, a priest who is now vicar general."
"The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei has clarified that girls are not allowed to serve at the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. It made clear that the Instruction on Summorum Pontificum, Universae Ecclesiae, does not permit female altar servers at the older Mass."
Universae Ecclesiae states “the Moto Proprio Summorum Pontificum derogates from those provisions of law, connected with the Sacred Rites, promulgated from 1962 onwards and incompatible with the rubrics of the liturgical books in effect in 1962″. Permission for female altar servers came with the Circular Letter of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments of 1994. However, the rubrics of the 1962 Missal did not allow for females on the sanctuary during Mass.
The letter, signed by Mgr Guido Pozzo, Secretary of Ecclesia Dei, said that “permitting female altar servers does not apply to the Extraordinary Form”...
This article is by Rachel Obordo
Wednesday, 8 June 2011 –
Catholic Herald UK
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
How long, O God, how long, will Catholics put up with the sexism within the institutional church.? This decree sends a hostile message to girls that they are not equals at the altar.
Girls, we need your energy, gifts, and passion for God and for serving God's people. Come and visit our communities and offer your services! We will warmly welcome you! If you feel called to be a priest, let us know, we will encourage you on this journey to justice and equality in our church. Come and see!
"According to a 2008 Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate study, in just eight years, we will have only 13,500 active diocesan priests to serve 18,000 parishes, presuming ordinations remain constant as they have for the past decade." (Future Church Newsletter/June 2011.
Bridget Mary's Reflection: The people are ready! In Mary Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, ( Mary MOJO), two women priests, two married priests and their spouses serve a vibrant faith community of empowered Catholics who are living Vatican 3 now. www.marymotherofjesus.org Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
"In an e-mail to NCR June 7, John Hushon, co-chairman of the ACC, said, “We stated categorically to Msgr. [Robert] McClory [Detroit archdiocesan moderator of the curia] that ‘There will be only one presider, an ordained priest in good standing.’ We could not have been any clearer...”
Bridget Mary's Reflection
The American Catholic Council is gathering on Pentecost weekend at Detroit’s Cobo Hall where the first Call to Action conference on social justice hosted by Detroit Cardinal John Dearden in 1976 was held. It has apparently raised the ire of Archbishop Vigneron who has issued a severe warning to clergy and people not to attend the closing liturgy. If the priests and deacons disobey, they could be removed from the clerical state! High stakes and a major threat, indeed!
Why? Perhaps, the Archbishop found out that some Roman Catholic Women Priests, married priests and members of our enthusiastic inclusive worshipping communities will be attending the conference.
I think Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron fears that a woman priest, and/or a married priest might somehow co-preside at the closing liturgy (gasp!!) even though the ACC organizers have assured them that there will be only one priest in good standing presiding. Maybe, Archbishop Vigneron's warning to Catholics to avoid the closing liturgy is meant to assure the Vatican that he is a loyal follower of the pope, and perhaps, hopes to gain favor in the next round of promotions. (At least he won't be fired like the Australian bishop who had written a pastoral letter that entertained the possibility of women priests in response to the priest shortage. )
The good news for the American Catholic Council is that wonderful groups like Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida will be in Detroit this weekend. They will be sharing our experiences of living Gospel partnership and equality. .. Carol Ann and Lee Breyer, Michael and Imogene Rigdon, Jack and Helen Duffy and others will display a beautiful banner with photos of our community as well as prayer cards that depict Mary, Mother of Jesus attired in priestly vestments. They will "hang out" with friends at CORPUS booth and gather at Dorothy Irvin's booth too.
Some women from the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will be there too. ..Dena O'Callaghan, Diane Dougherty and Donna LeMaster Rougeux. They will be handing out brochures at Dorothy Irvin booth where books about our movement, Come by Here, by Judy Lee and Living Gospel Equality Now by Bridget Mary Meehan will be available.
The Holy Spirit is moving in the church now in a a people-empowered church of the baptized (which includes women priests, married priests, gay priests, celibate priests) taking responsibility for living the Gospel in our world. Our inclusive communities follow Jesus who rejected no one and invited all into God's embrace of boundless love. In open, compassionate, justice -seeking grassroots communities, Catholics are living Gospel equality now!
Come, Holy Spirit, renew your church with the gifts of women priests as we work for justice for all, justice for the poor and marginalized, justice for women and justice for women in the church in a renewed community of equals.
Sister Joan D. Chittister, a Benedictine nun, discusses how culture changes and the implications those changes have for contemporary spirituality. She focuses on the stages of revitalization, global definitions of the seven capital sins, and American society as it moves into the 21st century. Series: Walter H. Capps Center Series [7/2009] [Humanities] [Show ID: 16612]
Bridget Mary's Reflection: I highly recommend this lecture. Sister Joan Chittister is a prophet in our church and world, unafraid to speak truth to power. No wonder the Vatican tried to stop her from speaking at the Women's Ordination Worldwide in Dublin! Some people wear signs that affirm; "Joan for Pope!" If you have heard Joan speak, you will know why, if you have not, take a look at this youtube movie and you will understand!!
The ordinations of Roman Catholic Women Priests are valid because of our apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church. The principal consecrating Roman Catholic male bishop who ordained our first women bishops is a bishop with apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church in full communion with the pope. Therefore, our bishops validly ordain deacons, priests and bishops. Consequently, all qualified candidates, including baptized ministers and priests from other Christian traditions, who are presented to our bishops for ordination are ordained by the laying on of hands into apostolic succession in the Roman Catholic Church.
"Elizabeth Johnson, professor of theology at Fordham University in New York, in a June 1 letter to the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, strenuously defended the orthodoxy of her 2007 book, Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God, saying the committee had thoroughly misunderstood, misrepresented, and misinterpreted the book. " "The bishops’ doctrine committee in late March, after studying the book for one year, concluded it “does not accord with authentic Catholic teaching on essential points” and “completely undermines the Gospel and the faith of those who believe in the Gospel.”
On April 2nd 2011 in the Danube City Church in Vienna, more than 300 people gathered for the conferring of an Award given by the Herbart Haag Foundation to people who have made a significant contribution towards promoting Freedom in the Church. It was awarded to the leading bishop in the Underground Church in Czechoslovakia during the communist regime, which ended in 1989. (Czechoslovakia was later, in 1993, divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia).
The prize was awarded posthumously to Bishop Felix Davidek who died in 1988, so it was accepted on Davidek's behalf by another bishop who had been ordained by Davidek. Davidek was the leader of the Underground Church, the group that kept the church alive in the face of brutal persecution by the communists. However, when the communist regime came to an end, the Vatican, instead of recognizing the courage and prophetic action of those who had led the Underground Church, silenced them. The reason? They ordained married men and also women - the unforgivable sin.
In an article about the Czech church and this Award, in the church journal Kirche In, the heading is: "What the Communists began, the Vatican has completed". As the Czech bishop said when he spoke: We were called the Underground Church, now we are the Silent Church. And it was not the communists who silenced us, but the Vatican".
Ludmila Javarova, who is now 80, was also present and she received a standing ovation when she was called to the podium. She was ordained by Davidek and served as his Vicar General. It was wonderful to experience the enthusiasm of the 300 people present for Ludmila as a woman priest. However, there was not a single bishop or other official church representative present at the ceremony, other than a bishop from the Czech Republic. There was no-one from the Vatican, neither the papal nuncio nor Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna - they were all conspicuous by their absence. In contrast, there were many younger people there, filled with conviction and enthusiasm for the prophetic stance of the church during the communist regime. They also clearly had no problem at all with women priests.
Professor Hans Küng was the chairman of the ceremony and he presented the Award to the bishop and to Ludmila.
Dr. Hans Jorissen, emeritus professor at the university of Bonn, spoke about the many ways in which the official church tried to discredit Davidek. The most serious allegation against him was that he was seriously schizophrenic - and therefore, the Vatican maintains, the ordinations done by him are questionable, if not outright invalid. However, it has since been established that Davidek never had any form of psychological testing, let alone being diagnosed - and those who knew him vouch for his soundness of mind and heart. This allegation was simply one of several nasty attempts to deny the validity of the ordinations of the married men and especially of the women ordained by Davidek, even though these were done in a time of desperate need in a persecuted underground church.
The entire event was an unforgettable experience of hope and of the people moving forward in the church despite the hierarchy, who are simply being left behind. It was clear that the more the ordination of women is condemned by the Vatican, the more the people of God are opening their minds and hearts to its possibility. And the more the Vatican hurls excommunications, silencing, suspensions and condemnations at anyone who dares to differ in the slightest from the law they lay down, the more they are making themselves irrelevant. The church of the baptized is coming into its own!
In the first picture with Pastor Judy are Ty Powell,17; Judy Alves, his mentor and Godmother and Harry Lee Gary, church Elder and, Godfather.
In the second picture this group is joined by Hank Tessandori who functions as a Deacon with us and inspires Ty with his art work. In the third picture we are joined by Mrs. Jolinda Harmon, his Grandmother. Mrs. Harmon attends faithfully with up to ten of her grand children including Ty.
"This was a particularly beautiful and joyous baptism as everyone was happy that our 17 year old, Ty, was claiming a new life through baptism. After a traumatic event in his early teens he withdrew into himself and also withdrew his voice from the world, barely speaking in a whisper. For Ty, this baptism meant that those terrible events and all other negative events of his life were "washed clean","washed away" and he was a new person, able to be fully alive. It also meant to him that he was now a full member of our church family and a part of the body of Christ. He took the name of Thaddeus for his Baptismal name as he too wants to be a disciple of Jesus. We spoke to him about dedicating his artistic talent to God and to Ty his baptism also signified this commitment. When he returned to us in the beautiful white shirt his Godmother, Judy Alves, gave him and I put a white stole on him and said "you have put on Christ" his smile was amazing- and from a young man who almost never smiled. When he was able to answer the questions of Baptism in his full voice and keep eye contact with me indicating his understanding it was as if we were witnessing a miracle. Ty's mentor and Godmother is a retired Public Defender who used her considerable knowledge of young people to guide and encourage Ty. Ty lost his father in a tragic event early in his life and his new Godfather is very important to him. Ty's God father, Harry Gary, our Elder, also shared that Ty has started to visit him and he is truly reaching out to be part of the community now. This was a very special day for this young man and for our community. "
Four Roman Catholic women ordained as priests in Catonsville Defying Vatican, group holds ceremony at Protestant church By Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun "Defying canon law and a Vatican decree that promised excommunication, four Roman Catholic women took vows as priests Saturday during an elaborate ordination ceremony full of song and messages of inclusiveness at a Protestant church in Catonsville.Andrea Johnson, presiding as bishop, ordained two women from Maryland, Ann Penick and Marellen Mayers, one from Pennsylvania and one from New York in the sanctuary of St. John's United Church of Christ. The church was filled with family members — including husbands of three of the ordinands — and friends, including some who are employed by the Archdiocese of Baltimore but who support the ordination of women. Photography was limited to protect the privacy of those attending the ceremony."
left to right, Patricia LaRosa, Bridget Mary Meehan Ann Penick and Maryellen Mayers front row from left to right newly ordained Ann Penick, Maryellen Mayers, Bishop Andrea Johsnon, Carly Johnson, and Patriicia LaRosa with members of Easter Region USA
In the presence of enthusiastic women priests supporters and advocates of justice, renewal and inclusivity in the Catholic Church, Bishop Andrea Johnson ordained four new Roman Catholic Women Priests: Carly Conroy Johnson, Patricia Elise La Rosa, Maryellen Marie Mayers, and Ann Clarisse Yeoman Penick at St. John's United Church of Christ in Catonsville, Maryland. Bishop Andrea Johnson: Presentation of Four Women Priests to Assembly at Historic Maryland Ordination http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY6lRLKtpQk
Bridget Mary's Reflection: It was a joy to witness this historic moment for Maryland and for the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
"Lots of news about sex and money lately. First an international financier is alleged to have raped a hotel maid. Then the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops blames societal changes for sixty years of creeps run rampant. Same story, different emphasis...But most women (and, by extension, children) are not “useful” to too many of the rich and powerful men who control money and who control sacraments. " http://www.ncronline.org/blogs/just-catholic/sex-and-money-its-about-power Bridget Mary's Reflection Excellent analysis by Phyllis Zagano who sums up what many commentators have said all along about the Catholic Church's global sex abuse crisis-- its about abuse of power. Now more than ever, the church needs genuine reform of clericalism and it needs the wisdom of the people of God, especially women to hold the institutional church accountable for crimes against youth and to foster a more open, participatory, responsible, community of faith. In my view, this would certainly include a married priesthood and women priests as part of a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals. We need a new Pentecost in the Catholic Church where the diverse gifts of the baptized are affirmed and fully utilized in inclusive communities in service to the Body of Christ! Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
"Our witness in front of the Chiquita Corporate Center went well We had about 20 folks, mainly Steelworker union activists from Louisville and Columbus, as well as the head of labor in Cincinnati. . We held our banner: Witness for Peace Stop the War Against the Poor
We chanted: No more blood for bananas No more blood for profits
Ken Crowley of WFP went to the stockholders' meeting and raised his same points as last year with the CEO about the killing of the Afro-Colombians by para-military groups that were paid for by Chiquita...
Reporters from CityBeat and The Cincinnati Enquirer did interviews at our gathering.
On horses across the street the police kept an eye on us.
This event was an education for me, learning from Ken and Dan Kovalik, senior counsel for the Steelworkers.
Recently the National Security Archives revealed information that both Chiquita and the U.S. State Department lied about Chiquita's involvement with paramilitary groups which seeded death squads in north Colombia."
MIAMI (AP) -- "Each name is next to a number, in black type on a thick legal document. They are the mothers and fathers, spouses, sisters and brothers of thousands of Colombians who were killed or vanished during a bloody civil conflict between leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups whose victims have largely been civilians.
The list has at least 4,000 names, each one targeting Chiquita Brands International in U.S. lawsuits, claiming the produce giant's payments and other assistance to the paramilitary groups amounted to supporting terrorists."
Bridget Mary's Reflection: Let us do everything possible to support justice for the people of Columbia who have suffered so much violence and loss of life. Our biblical faith calls us to be prophetic witnesses for justice for all especially the poor and downtrodden in our world. In the Gospel. Mary, mother of Jesus, proclaimed God's compassionate tenderness for the oppressed and outrage against their oppressors:"God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and raised up the lowly. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53) The church teaches that action on behalf of justice is constitutive to the Gospel.In Medellin, Columbia and Puebla, Mexico, the Latin American Bishops Conference issued pastoral letters that affirm God's preferential option for the poor and our duty as people of faith to stand with them in their pursuit of their human rights and dignity. Let us stand in solidarity with those who suffer injustice anywhere and challenge the powerful to do justice everywhere. Let us pray that justice will be done by Chiquita for the people of Columbia. Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
Five years ago today I was in residence at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC supporting my son Captain Jason as he recovered from Very Serious Injuries (VSI) in Iraq. (Please see www.CaptJason.blogspot.comm for info begin reading October 2005.)On Memorial Day I was invited to a memorial service by a mother K of a son who had attended Tank Commander School with Jason. Ken was her only child and her only son. He was killed in Iraq shortly after the invasion began in 2003. K had contacted me at WR to see if Jason would talk about her son and their time together. K wanted to know everything she could about her son, now deceased 2 years. Today she and her family, friends and Ken's finance who was a RN for Jason at WR will meet at Arlington National Cemetery. They will remember Ken with stories, tears and laughter. They will release a balloon and pour beer on his grave. My heart is with them today as I remember my time with them in 2006 and who they are today. K continues to speak strongly for an end to war.Today I remember Gilda and her Marine Alex, her only son and only child. As a member of Military Family Speaks Out (MFSO) Gilda visited and offered support to Jason and I while I was at WR. Alex was killed in Iraq early May 2006 and I attended his funeral at Arlington Cemetery. His headstone is a very short way from Ken's. I haven't heard much from Gilda in the intervening years. I pray that she has found peace on this 5th anniversary since Alex's death.
Today as I was reading the Liturgy of the Hours, I saw the reference to prayers for today in the Sacramentary.
I would like to include some of these prayers for today as a deepening of our Memorial Day reflections and prayers.
Some words have been changed to be inclusive.
For Peace and Justice
God our Creator you reveal that those who work for peaceare called your sons and daughters.
Help us to work without ceasing for that justicewhich brings true and everlasting peace.and Loving Creator,you guide all creation with care.
As you have given all women and men one common origin,bring them together peacefully into one familyand keep them united in love as sisters and brothers.and Loving God,creator of the worldyou establish the order which governs all the ages.
Hear our prayer and give peace in our time that we may rejoice in your mercy and praise you without end.and God of perfect peace,violence and cruelty can have no part with you.
May those who are at peace with one another hold fast to the good will that unites them;may those who are enemies forget their hatred and be healed.
Prayers in Time of War
God of power and mercy, you destroy war and put down earthly pride.
Banish violence from our midst and wipe away our tears that we may all deserve to be called your sons and daughters.and God our Creator, maker of love and peace, to know you is to live,and to serve you is to live in the kindom.
All our faith is in your saving help;protect us from violenceand keep us safe from weapons of hate.and Loving God remember Christ your Son who is peace itself and who wash ed away our hatred with his blood.
Because you love humanity, look with mercy on us.
Banish the violence and evil within us,and by this offering (of gifts) restore tranquility and peace.and(for prayer after communion)
Beloved Creator, you satisfy our hunger with the one bread that gives strength to humanity, Help us to overcome war and violence,and to establish your law of love and justice.
All prayers end with
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Brother,who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,One God, for ever and ever. Amen
May you find peace and comfort today. My heart is saddened to hold all those lost and injured in war and their families and friends; civilians and soldiers and the 18 veterans who commit suicide each day. My own son returns to Iraq as a civilian contractor about July 1, 2011.
25 people including students from the Boston Theological Institute, Call to Action, and Spirit of Life Community gathered at the Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross for a peaceful prayer vigil for women's ordination on May 15th. May 15th was the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in the Catholic Church. The protestors stood in solidarity, praying for vocations for all women and men, particularly for women's vocations to the priesthood. Pictures from Emily Jendzejec.
What a joy to see the younger generation coming out to express their support of women's ordination! They are the future of the church and the majority are supportive of justice and equality for women in the church!
"War will exist until the distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige as the warrior does today." — John F. Kennedy
"Though I hesitate to comment on the removal of Toowoomba Bishop William Morris, Megan won't let me get away with it. The newest Catholic News Service story on the drama notes that the Vatican has been trying to get Morris to resign for years. But it's still hard to figure out exactly what Morris was removed for. He didn't ordain a woman, marry a same-sex couple, desecrate the Eucharist or anything else that might have resulted in an immediate action. Most commentators have focused on Morris' 2006 pastoral letter in which Morris proposed some possibilities to the shortage of priests in his diocese, including expressing openness to the ordination of women "if Rome would permit it." The pope's own correspondence with Morris suggests that it was this questioning of what the pope refers to as an infallible teaching as the trigger for Morris' removal. And there's the rub: When John Paul II ruled out the ordination of women in Ordinatio sacerdotalis, he used the expression "definitive," but did not use the formula that would signal an infallible teaching; in fact the word "infallible" doesn't appear anywhere in the document. (These documents are carefully crafted. "Infallible is missing for a reason.) Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect for the Congregation for the doctrine of the Faith, argued in a response to a question about Ordinatio sacerdotalis that the teaching was part of the "deposit of faith" and therefore an infallible teaching of the "ordinary and universal magisterium"--although he knows full well that's not how infalliblility works; something can't be declared infallible by a Vatican office. Canonists and theologians the world over argued that the teaching was not infallible for a variety of reasons. Still, Ratzinger, now as pope, is pushing this kind of back-door infallibility on the question, as John Allen at NCR pointed out in a recent piece on the controversy surrounding what many call "creeping infallibility."
May 25, 1:20 PM EDT German Catholics call for reform, many leaving By MELISSA EDDY Associated Press EXCERPTS: German theologians and others have aired their discontent in a series of petitions to church leaders calling for changes including more transparency, an end to celibacy, and women's ordination. The Vatican has not responded to the petitions, but the German Bishops Conference sought to address the issue in March by announcing a series of platforms for dialogue "aimed at giving our church in Germany a theological profile and sense of cohesion in this new century." "The church is no longer speaks to the people. I don't feel that it speaks to me, I don't feel comfortable with these traditions that date back centuries," said an administrator who works in the Augsburg dioceses, but refused to give his name for fear that he would be fired for criticizing the church. Bridget Mary's Blog Perhaps, the German Bishops Conference will start a "dialogue" that will lead the Vatican to finally "get it" about how out of touch they are with the needs of God's people today. Of course, empty pews are sending a message. Let's hope that Pope Benedict tunes in.Notice that women's ordination is on the German agenda. The first 7 women priests were ordained in 2002 on the Danube. Bridget Mary Meehan RCWP www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
July 18, 2008
Continuing the Conversation
Women & the Priesthood
Sara Butler Robert J. Egan Sara Butler
"Why not ordain women? In the April 11 issue of Commonweal, Robert J. Egan, SJ, invites readers to look again at this question. Egan doubts that “the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate” has “really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus.” In his opinion, the tradition probably rests instead on “a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power.” Until the church honestly faces “the whole truth about our history,” he writes, Catholic women will continue to suffer a grave injustice... ..."Egan develops his argument in response to my effort to set out the logic of the church’s teaching in The Catholic Priesthood and Women (2007). He acknowledges the force of a distinction the magisterium draws between the “fundamental reasons” for the tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men and the theological arguments advanced, by way of the analogy of faith, to explain why it is “fitting...." "What are these fundamental reasons? According to Inter insigniores (1976), the church relies on the constant and universal tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men, a tradition it traces to Jesus’ example of choosing only men to belong to the Twelve, finds confirmed in the practice of the Apostles, and has always recognized as normative for the ministerial priesthood. In Ordinatio sacerdotalis (1994), Pope John Paul II likewise traces the tradition to the will of Christ, known by way of his choice of twelve men. He elaborates this point by underlining Jesus’ freedom from convention in relating to women—a freedom Egan does not think Jesus really had—and by describing more fully the biblical testimony regarding his call and commission of the Apostles. John Paul asserts, for example, that Jesus appointed these twelve men to represent him, and that the ministry committed to them was not entrusted to all of the baptized.
The idea that Christ’s will for the ministerial priesthood can be known by way of his choice of men and not women to belong to the Twelve is not new. It has often been included, along with appeals to the teaching of St. Paul, among the reasons advanced by theologians for reserving the priesthood to men. Its chief patristic warrant comes from the late fourth-century bishop St. Epiphanius of Salamis, who found evidence of the Lord’s will in the fact that he called no woman to belong to the Twelve, and that no woman was appointed to succeed the apostles as bishop or presbyter. Epiphanius is confident that if Jesus did not entrust sacerdotal functions to women, it was not for lack of worthy candidates, since he had his own mother and many holy women in his company. And yet he did not call women to this office. As the author of human nature, he knew best how to assign responsibilities in his community. The “Marian” version of this reasoning, long influential in the East, was reformulated in the West by Pope Innocent III in 1210 and passed along in the canonical tradition on which Scholastic theologians relied: “Although the Blessed Virgin Mary was of higher dignity and excellence than all the Apostles, it was to them, not her, that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
"...Egan faults me for not fully facing up to the objections he raises, but his objections extend far beyond my brief in The Catholic Priesthood and Women. My objective was to explain why the Catholic Church reserves priestly ordination to men, not to defend the existence of the ministerial priesthood. This I take for granted. In fact, I regard it as required by Catholic faith that Jesus’ intention for this apostolic ministry is known by way of the mission he gave the Twelve, and that this office is passed on in apostolic succession by means of the sacrament of Holy Orders. This doctrine was reaffirmed and enriched at the Second Vatican Council (see Lumen gentium 18-28) and in the teaching of the postconciliar magisterium. Ordinatio sacerdotalis requires Catholics to hold that the church has no authority “to confer priestly ordination on women”—that is, to ordain women as presbyters or bishops, the two degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders that comprise the “ministerial priesthood.” (In my book, I consistently refer to “the priesthood” rather than to “Holy Orders” or “ordained ministry,” because I intend to bracket the question of the diaconate.) ...
Robert J. Egan
"My article also ended with a question: “Has the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopacy really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus? Or has it been part of a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power?” This was not a conclusion, but a question: “a very important question,” one that “urgently needs and deserves an open, prayerful, learned, patient, and discerning conversation among Catholics today.” ...
"... I reported that the inferiority of women to men and their subjection to the authority of men (taken for granted throughout most of the church’s history) was the explanation often given for their exclusion from ordained ministry http://www.archny.org/seminary/st-josephs-seminary-dunwoodie/administration/sister-sara-butler/something no one denies. Whether or not it was the main factor that dictated this exclusion is a question I suggested deserves prayerful discussion among us.
.."We know there were different forms of governance and types of ministry in the early Christian communities. There was no single structure, the same in every place. It isn’t my opinion but our common faith that the church’s life unfolds under the influence of the Spirit. It seems apparent that different kinds of assistance, leadership, and service evolved gradually, and only gradually became identified with particular offices, and subsequently with “priesthood.” But during these developments, references were, in fact, being made to several key biblical passages that became influential, including references to the commissioning of the Twelve. "
"To make all this an issue about me is misleading. None of this discussion is a personal idiosyncrasy on my part. It reflects aspects of the work—not just of Anglicans and Protestants—but of many Catholic scholars as well, including Paul Bernier, Raymond E. Brown, John J. Burkhard, John N. Collins, Bernard Cooke, Alexandre Faivre, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Daniel J. Harrington, Richard P. McBrien, John P. Meier, Nathan D. Mitchell, Thomas F. O’Meara, Kenan B. Osborne, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, Carroll Stuhlmueller, and Francis A. Sullivan, among others. In particular, important work has been done in recent years on the meaning of “the Twelve,” the distinct category of “apostles,” and the origins and development of the roles of presbyter, overseer, and deacon, much of it in the years since the promulgation of Inter insigniores (1976). It is, I believe, mainly Butler’s neglect of this literature that is at the heart of the conflict between us. "
..." As a Catholic theologian and a Jesuit, I do not dispute the sacramentality of ordination, the idea of apostolic succession, the hierarchical structure of the church, the role of tradition and the magisterium in the interpretation of Scripture, or the teaching authority of the church, although I think commanding the assent of the faithful is unlikely to produce fruitful results in our present situation.
..."The church’s understanding and teaching has developed over two millennia. On some subjects it has remained substantially the same. On others, it has changed dramatically, in ways that could not have been foreseen: on slavery, women’s inferiority, the divine right of kings, the uses of torture, the status and dignity of the Jewish people, the execution of heretics, the idea of religious liberty, the moral legitimacy of democratic governments, the indispensability of Thomism, and the structure of the universe itself. New questions arise, and new horizons open, cultures themselves are transformed, and the fund of human knowledge changes... "
Sr. Sara Butler, MSBT, teaches at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Her Cardinal Cooke Lecture on the subject of the ministerial priesthood is available on her faculty page.
about the writer
Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
...“The pope can remove Morris even if it [the papal teaching on women’s ordination to the priesthood] is not infallible -- there’s no doubt about that,” he said. He said he would “go along” with Sullivan’s reservations about the infallible status of the papal declaration in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. When NCR asked Sullivan whether he regards the teaching in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis as manifestly infallible, he said, “No. I don’t think so.” But he also said, “It’s infallibly taught -- at least the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared -- and I don’t want to contradict it.” Fr. Charles E. Curran, a moral theologian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, also cited the canon that nothing is to be regarded as infallible doctrine unless it is manifestly so. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Ratzinger wants to say it’s infallible, and that he has said that” in his 1995 response, as then head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, to a question of whether the teaching against ordaining women priests was infallible, Curran said. The congregation said at that time that the teaching spelled out in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis “requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the tradition of the church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium.”
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
The pope cannot proclaim a teaching that does not reflect the sense of the faithful. Pope John Paul did not follow the process of worldwide consultation with thelogians and bishops before he declared this teaching to be definitive. Now Pope Benedict stands on the precipice. ( and discourages even discussion of the topic, making women's ordination a " serious crime",firing Bishop Morris of Australia etc) It appears that Roman Catholic Women Priests are one of the Vatican's worst nightmares. When prominent theologians question the infallible status given to this teaching by our present pope, rest assured that their intellectual prod is an unwelcome challenge. However, if Benedict declares this doctrine infallible, the loss will be greatest for the magisterium . If Benedict declares women's ordination infallible from the chair of Peter, he would do serious damage to the magisterium's teaching authority. I believe Pope Benedict, the theologian, knows that is too high a risk no matter how opposed he is to women priests and our supporters! However, I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in this "dance", and all shall be well!
After 9 years - survivor John V. Doe - receives favorable US District Court decision vs. the Holy See. The "No Sovereign Immunity" press conference explaining the court decision. --- Now the Vatican knows it's time for truth, honesty and openness, not "wiggling." Bridget Mary's Reflection: A landmark case! Finally, a U.S. Court stands up to the Vatican! It is about time. Let's hope that the Vatican stops the foot-dragging, releases the information, and institutes the major reforms that are necessary for structural change in response to the sexual abuse global crisis. It is sad that the courts are the only institution that seems to be effective in holding the Catholic Church accountable in response to the global sexual abuse crisis. The people of God have challenged the hierarchy, but the Vatican has held on to its power and placed accountability on the lap of the local bishop despite years of coverup by many bishops across the world. One wonders what have we learned if the fox is still in charge of the hen house! So much for national review boards and diocesan review boards, if the bishops do not report allegations to them, how effective can they be? Are they only window-dressing? What other church or denomination would get away with this kind of behavior? Will the Vatican respond to the Court? What happens if they don't? Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
April 11, 2008 Article "Why Not?" Scripture, History & Women's Ordination Robert J. Egan (Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. ) In response to Sara Butler's arguments for excluding women from the priesthood, Robert Egan, SJ made the following case in Commonweal Magazine: Sara Butler's book titled The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church (Hillenbrand Books, $23, 132 pp.). Butler is a professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York.
..."The fourth problem is that to frame this discussion in terms of excluding women from “the priesthood” confuses the matter considerably. There is no talk about a Christian “priesthood” in the New Testament. ..Early Christianity had no priests. It can even be said, on the basis of these New Testament texts, that early Christianity did not understand itself to be the kind of religion that has or needs a priesthood. It was only in the second century that bishops, in reference to their role (by then) as chief presiders at the communities’ Eucharistic liturgies, began to be likened to priests. Later, during the third century, presbyters too, as delegates of a bishop for presiding at liturgies, also began to be likened to priests. Building a theology of the presbyterate and episcopate on the basis of “priesthood” tempts us to read back into New Testament times attitudes and ideas that developed only centuries later. .. There is no evidence in the New Testament that Jesus made any connection between the Twelve and any established offices or continuing roles of leadership in the local communities like elders or overseers. There is, for that matter, no evidence that Jesus himself explicitly intended or foresaw elders or overseers in the new communities. And there is certainly nothing in Jesus’ way of acting or his teaching that suggests that he intended any of his followers to become priests... None of these words or roles has any particular connection with cult or sacrifice, but in the second century, as the episcopus became the ordinary presider at the community’s Eucharistic liturgy, he began to be likened to a sacerdos. Later, in the third century, as the presbyter became the delegate of the episcopus to preside at some Eucharistic liturgies, he too began to be likened to a sacerdos. Eventually the terms presbyter and sacerdos came to be used interchangeably to refer to an ordained Christian minister of a rank above deacon but below bishop. Ironically, the word “priest,” which is the only word we have to translate sacerdos or hiereus, is derived historically from presbyter. " —R.J.E.
http://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/arrogant-clericalism-never-assessed-john-jay-report "Arrogant clericalism’ never assessed in John Jay report" May 21, 2011 By Tom Doyle ..."The report gave short shrift to mandatory celibacy and the all-male environment of the clerical world. This will feed right into the defenses of those who try to claim that the problems are all from outside influences. Yet the influence of mandatory celibacy and the sub-culture of which it is an integral part play a major role in the socialization and maturation processes of the men who will eventually violate minors. The clerical culture should have been the subject of the 1.8 million dollar venture because if looked at closely and honestly it would have yielded information that not only provided believable reasons for the abuse nightmare but valuable though radical steps to take to avoid similar travesties in the future. That would have been much too dangerous for the hierarchical establishment though, because without doubt, it would point to needed fundamental changes..." "What is important is not why the thousands of clerics went off the tracks and raped and violated tens of thousands of innocent children. What is important is what the institutional Church has done, or to be more precise, not done, to help heal the thousands of victims who still live in isolation and pain. More than anything else these men and women have had their very souls violated and in the words of some, murdered. Rather than go to such great lengths to try to exonerate themselves the bishops could have done what they should have done.....try, at least, to begin to understand the profound depth of the spiritual wounds inflicted on these many men and women, once innocent and trusting boys and girls. .."
Tom Doyle is a priest, canon lawyer, addictions therapist and long-time supporter of justice and compassion for clergy sex abuse victims. He is a co-author of the first report ever issued to the U.S. bishops on clergy sex abuse, in 1986.
Bridget Mary's Reflection: What a waste of money the John Jay Report on Sexual Abuse is. As Tom Doyle points out, it doesn't deal with the elephant in the church's own living room, clericalism. Until we have an open transparent, accountable church that is less a pyramid and more a circular model, and until we have married priests, women priests and an empowered people of God, genuine reform and renewal will not take place. As Fr. Doyle points out, the bishops have not dealt with the pain of the survivors in a significant way either, mandating certain prayers or penances for the people of God- such as declaring a fast from meat on Friday- is not going to heal this wound that is gaping and growing with no end in sight. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests www.associationoformancatholicwomenpriests.org
This quiz, and the answers below, draw from a new book, “Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire.” It’s by Jennifer Wright Knust, a Bible scholar at Boston University who is also an ordained American Baptist pastor.
"Faith is a huge force in American life, and it’s common to hear the Bible cited to bolster political and moral positions, especially against same-sex marriage and abortion. So here’s my 2011 religion quiz. Choose the best responses (some questions may have more than one correct answer): 1. The Bible’s position on abortion is:
a. Never mentioned.
b. To forbid it along with all forms of artificial birth control.
c. Condemnatory, except to save the life of the mother.
2. The Bible suggests “marriage” is:
a. The lifelong union of one man and one woman.
b. The union of one man and up to 700 wives.
c. Often undesirable, because it distracts from service to the Lord.
3. The Bible says of homosexuality:
a. Leviticus describes male sexual pairing as an abomination.
b. A lesbian should be stoned at her father’s doorstep.
c. There’s plenty of ambiguity and no indication of physical intimacy, but some readers point to Ruth and Naomi’s love as suspiciously close, or to King David declaring to Jonathan: “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” (II Samuel 1:23-26)"
Click on link to take whole quiz.....
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Way to go to get people talking about sex and the bible, Dr. Jenniver Wright Knust! I bet your book will be a best seller.Thanks for sharing this quiz with your readers, Nicolas Kristof.
